Creative Bible Lessons in Genesis Copyright © 2007 by Hoon Kim ...

Creative Bible Lessons in Genesis
Copyright © 2007 by Hoon Kim
Youth Specialties products, 300 S. Pierce St., El Cajon, California 92020, are published by Zondervan, 5300 Patterson,
S.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kim, Hoon, 1971-
Creative Bible lessons in Genesis / Hoon Kim.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-10: 0-310-27093-6 (pbk.)
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-27093-5 (pbk.)
1. Bible. O.T. Genesis—Study and teaching. I. Title.
BS1239.K56 2006
222’.110071—dc22
2006024013
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version ® . NIV ® .
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights
reserved.
The material in this book may be photocopied for local use in churches, youth groups, and other Christian—education
activities. Special permission is not necessary. However, the contents of this book may not be reproduced in
any other form without written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
Creative Team: Dave Urbanski, Kristi Robison, David Conn, Heather
Haggerty and Janie Wilkerson
Cover design by Holly Sharp
Printed in the United States of America
06 07 08 09 10 • 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION UNCHANGING TRUTHS IN CHANGING TIMES 9
SESSION 1 CREATOR GOD 13
SESSION 2 IMAGO DEI 23
SESSION 3 CREATED FOR RELATIONSHIP 35
SESSION 4 FAITH AND BROKENNESS 45
SESSION 5 NOAH AND THE BOW 57
SESSION 6 FROM BABEL TO BLESSING 69
SESSION 7 THE CALL OF ABRAHAM 77
SESSION 8 ABRAHAM SACRIFICES ISAAC 87
SESSION 9 LENTILS: FAR TOO EASILY PLEASED 97
SESSION 10 WRESTLING WITH GOD 109
SESSION 11 JOSEPH AND SEX 121
SESSION 12 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD 131
BIBLIOGRAPHY

CREATOR GOD
SESSION 1
BIG IDEA
What does it mean that God is Creator? What does creation itself reveal about
God? This lesson will teach students the general narrative of the creation account of
Genesis 1 and basic implications about what that means for us today.
Note: Although evolution versus creation is one of the most debated topics in modern
times, this lesson presupposes that God created everything. For a good overview of
the discussion, begin with The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel (also available in a
student edition).
OPENER (OPTION 1: IMPROV CREATORS)
This section is meant to get your students talking and developing intimacy as a
community and to simultaneously get them thinking about the concept of creation.
As your students gather, place colored clay in front of them. Initially, do not discuss
what the clay is for nor what they are to make with it; simply let them know it is
You’ll NEED
• Bibles
• pens/pencils
• colored clay
• copies of Quiz
of Astronomical
Proportions (page
18)
• Milky Way ®
chocolate bars
• “Galaxy video from
www.highwayvideo.
com
• contemplative
background music
• projection
equipment and
multimedia person
• copies of The
Creation Narration
(page 20)
• copies of Massive
If-Then Statements
(page 21)

available for them to use as they wish. As students start molding the clay into shapes,
have them share what their weeks were like. Additionally, you can ask the students to
describe their emotions about the week through clay figures.
After about 10 minutes of sharing, ask the students to describe what their creations
are by saying things like—
• Let’s go around and describe what we created.
• How does what you made reflect you or perhaps your emotions?
• How is your creation different than when God created the universe?
OPENER (OPTION 2: QUIZ OF ASTRONOMICAL
PROPORTIONS)
Pass out copies of Quiz of Astronomical Proportions (page 18) and give kids about
five minutes to complete them. Pass out Milky Way ® chocolate bars to the students
with the highest scores.
The answers to the quiz are as follows:
(1. a, 2. a, 3. a, 4. a, 5. b, 6. d, 7. a, 8. a, 9. c, 10. b)
After awarding the prize, review the astronomical facts by saying something like,
Imagine this data for a moment. In one second light can travel seven times around
the earth. In one year the distance light travels is about 9.46 x 10 12 kilometers—one
light-year. Our Milky Way galaxy is about 100,000 light years in diameter, and
there are possibly about 100 million galaxies in the universe, with each galaxy containing
about 100 billion stars. The distance to the observable edge of the universe
is 15 billion light years. Psalm 8:3 says God created the whole universe by a simple
work of his fingers.
14 creative bible lessons in GENESIS
Now ask something like,
How does this knowledge affect your relationship with God?
Then say,
This same creator God became a human baby, lived 33 years, and was sacrificed
for our sins. This all-powerful God was willing to die out of love for you. He has
ushered us all into his presence today to discover him. Why don’t we start with a
word of prayer?
Invite some students to pray for the Bible study in light of the opener.

OPENER (OPTION 3: VIDEO INTRODUCTION)
Show a video that illustrates the sovereignty of God over creation and nature.
(Highway Video has an excellent clip, sound included, titled “Galaxy.” It is available for
download from www.highwayvideo.com.) Simultaneously, play some contemplative
background music that highlights the work of creation. Some options are “God of
Wonders” by Third Day or “Wonderful Maker” by Chris Tomlin/Matt Redman.
creator God 15
Transition into the Bible study by inviting students to an interactive call and response.
For a sample script see Video Introduction: Call and Response (page 19). As you or
another leader closes the prayer of invocation, have students sit down and break into
small groups, depending on the size of your group and the type of meeting you’re
holding.
DISCUSSION (OPTION 1: THE CREATION NARRATION)
Distribute copies of The Creation Narration (page 20). Allow the youth enough time
to complete all the answers. Once the students are finished, regroup and go over the
handout.
Then ask the following questions and have students include verses that support their
answers.
1. By what action did God create all things?
(Speaking.)
2. How many times does the author of Genesis say that God’s creation was good?
What do you think God may have meant?
(Six times. The created things were perfect as God made them.)
3. When the Bible says that God rested on the seventh day, what do you think that
means? Was God tired?
(No, he was not tired. He used the day to admire all that he made.)
4. When did God say it was not good? Why do you think he said that?
(As man was made in the image of a Trinitarian God, a God involved in eternal
fellowship with himself (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), we ourselves were made for
community. God therefore created us to be relational, but no one of Adam’s kind
was available.)
5. If God is the Creator, what must be true about him?
(Possible answer: He must be eternal, without beginning or end. He must be powerful,
since he created all things by the power of his words. He must be creative, since
he made all the different objects of creation. He must be wise and knowledgeable,
since he must have also invented the physical laws (of science, math, etc.) behind all
these. He is the owner of all of creation and all things come from him.)

DISCUSSION (OPTION 2: CREATION DRAMA)
If your group of students is particularly bold and artistic, divide them into two to
four groups and have them act out the creation account. Let the students know that
they will not be using speech, except for one designated narrator. Give them enough
time and freedom to use props and creative special effects. Tell students to act out
animals and vegetation as well as light and darkness. Assign the following segments
as you see fit and limit their planning to about 15 minutes.
Act 1: Genesis 1:1-13 Act 3: Genesis 2:4-9
Act 2: Genesis 1:14-2:3 Act 4: Genesis 2:15-25
TRANSITION
Say something like,
This last exercise gave us a general overview of what happened on each day of creation
and how God noted that everything, up until the discovery of Adam’s loneliness,
was good. On the seventh day God rested. Now let’s go a little deeper and discover
what it means that God is Creator. The fact that God is Creator and created
everything in the universe has huge implications for our everyday lives that maybe
we don’t often think about.
MASSIVE IF-THEN STATEMENTS
Ask students to turn to the New Testament, to the book of Colossians. Lead the
group in reading Colossians 1:15-20 in unison. Now hand out copies of Massive If-
Then Statements (page 21).
16 creative bible lessons in GENESIS
Say something like,
Let’s go over some of the implications of this passage with some logical if-then
statements. For example, IF God created and sustains everything, as Colossians
1:17 says, THEN he must also know everything. Catch that? He must know everything
that goes on in creation, from where a dingo is hiding in Australia to what a
barracuda is eating right now off the coast of Jamaica to whatever you have been
going through this past week. In the space provided write down some things that
God must know about what’s going on in your life.
Give kids about 20 minutes to think through the remainder of the if-then statements
and reassure them that if they can’t think of too many, you’ll brainstorm more as a
group. Once the allotted time is up, regroup and collect what each student has come
up with on a writing board or large sheet of paper so all can see.

Possible answers are—
(If God made everything good, he is by nature good and has good things stored up for
me. If God made everything out of nothing, he is powerful and able to do all the things
that seem impossible to me. If God designed everything, he knows how things work, like
physics, and why we should obey his laws. If God made everything, he owns everything,
including our gifts, bank accounts, and time.)
creator God 17
Throughout this exercise encourage discussion and making the implications as
personal as possible. Close this exercise by asking each student to write on the
bottom of Massive If-Then Statements a summary of what this idea of God as
Creator means to them.
TRANSITION
Prepare to close the lesson by saying something like,
We will study later on that although God created everything to be good, sin came
into the world and caused the brokenness that we sometimes experience. But God
wasn’t defeated. God sent Jesus, his Son, to absorb the brokenness of creation and
make those who believe in him new creations. In the same way that God made order
out of what was formless and empty, Jesus brings healing and new life into what is
broken by sin.
CLOSING (OPTION 1: SONG MEDITATION)
Ask students to close their eyes and meditate as they listen to “You Do All Things
Well” by Chris Tomlin. If you choose, find and hand out the lyrics to the song.
CLOSING (OPTION 2: SONG MEDITATION WITH CLAY)
As the students listen to “You Do All Things Well” by Chris Tomlin, ask the students
to reshape the clay they used at the beginning of the lesson as a response to the study.
CLOSING (OPTION 3: PARTNER PRAYERS)
Use this option if several kids shared some real-life struggles. As the students listen
to “You Do All Things Well” by Chris Tomlin, encourage them to pray with each
other in response to Massive If-Then Statements. Encourage your students to contact
each other during the week to pray for the same topics over the phone.

QUIZ OF ASTRONOMICAL
PROPORTIONS
18 creative bible lessons in GENESIS
1. The speed at which light travels is
about
a) 186,000 miles/second
b) 18,600 miles/hour
c) 186,000 kilometers/second
d) 55 miles/hour
2. In one second light can travel
a) seven times around the earth
b) from the sun to earth
c) from the moon to earth
d) from New York City to Los
Angeles
3. The 1995 blockbuster space
movie starring Tom Hanks was
called
a) Apollo 13
b) Apollo Ono
c) Apollo 15
d) Apollo Creed
4. One light-year is
a) a distance of about 9.46 x 1012
kilometers
b) how much a photon ages in a
year
c) equivalent to 9.8 human years
d) a year with not much to do
5. The Milky Way galaxy
a) is fi lled with chocolate malt–
fl avored nougat and milk
chocolate
b) is 100,000 light-years in
diameter
c) is shaped like a four-pronged
ninja star
d) contains one central black hole
6. Which of the following is not a
star?
a) a supernova
b) Alpha Centauri
c) the sun
d) Ben Affl eck
7. The average galaxy contains
a) 100 billion stars
b) 10 million earth-like planets
c) 10 billion stars
d) 1 trillion solar systems
8. The universe (possibly)
a) contains 100 million galaxies
b) is in the shape of a ring
c) is collapsing
d) travels east to west
9. To reduce travel time Obi-Wan
Kenobi would use
a) warp speed
b) fantastic speed
c) light speed
d) the fast-forward button
10. The distance to the observable
edge of the universe is
a) unknown
b) about 15 billion light-years
c) unclear due to astro-fog
d) about 150 billion miles away
From Creative Bible Lessons in Genesis by Hoon Kim. Permission to reproduce this page granted only for use in
buyer’s youth group. This page can be downloaded at www.youthspecialties.com/store/downloads code:noah
Copyright © 2007 by Hoon Kim.

VIDEO INTRODUCTION: CALL
AND RESPONSE
creator God 19
Before your meeting have someone familiar with multimedia prepare the following
script for projection. Edit as you see fi t. Make sure each line is on a different page
and that you use an overall dark background, so that the yellow and white are visibly
different. Use a heavy font such as Impact and make sure you don’t rush through
the verses. Also, make sure there is some high-energy background music.
• IN THE PRESENCE OF OUR CREATOR GOD LET’S GATHER OUR VOICES AND PRAISE HIM.
• IF THE FOLLOWING TEXT IS IN WHITE, THE GUYS WILL READ IT ALL TOGETHER.
• IF THE FOLLOWING TEXT IS IN YELLOW, THE GIRLS WILL READ IT ALL TOGETHER.
• IF THE TEXT IS IN ANY OTHER COLOR, DON’T READ IT ALOUD.
• [other color] READY FOR A TEST?
• [white] KNOCK, KNOCK.
• [yellow] WHO’S THERE?
• [white] GOD.
• [yellow] GOD WHO?
• [white] THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD. WHO DO YOU THINK THIS IS?
• [other color] THAT WASN’T A JOKE.
• [other color] GOOD JOB. HERE WE GO AGAIN….
• [white] O LORD, OUR LORD, HOW MAJESTIC IS YOUR NAME IN ALL THE EARTH! YOU HAVE SET
YOUR GLORY ABOVE THE HEAVENS.
• [yellow] FROM THE LIPS OF CHILDREN AND INFANTS YOU HAVE ORDAINED PRAISE BECAUSE OF YOUR
ENEMIES, TO SILENCE THE FOE AND THE AVENGER.
• [white] WHEN I CONSIDER YOUR HEAVENS, THE WORK OF YOUR FINGERS, THE MOON AND THE
STARS, WHICH YOU HAVE SET IN PLACE,
• [yellow] WHAT IS MAN THAT YOU ARE MINDFUL OF HIM, THE SON OF MAN THAT YOU CARE FOR
HIM?
• [white] YOU MADE HIM A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE HEAVENLY BEINGS AND CROWNED HIM WITH
GLORY AND HONOR.
• [yellow] YOU MADE HIM RULER OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; YOU PUT EVERYTHING UNDER
HIS FEET:
• [white] ALL FLOCKS AND HERDS, AND THE BEASTS OF THE FIELD,
• [yellow] THE BIRDS OF THE AIR, AND THE FISH OF THE SEA, ALL THAT SWIM THE PATHS OF THE
SEAS.
• [white] O LORD, OUR LORD, HOW MAJESTIC IS YOUR NAME IN ALL THE EARTH!
• [yellow] O LORD, OUR LORD, HOW MAJESTIC IS YOUR NAME IN ALL THE EARTH!
• [other color] —PSALM 8
• [other color] LET’S BOW OUR HEARTS AND KNEES IN PRAYER. [OR IF YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO
CAN’T KNEEL] LET’S CLOSE OUR EYES IN PRAYER.
Have a leader say a prayer of invocation, calling to God for blessing over the
meeting.
From Creative Bible Lessons in Genesis by Hoon Kim. Permission to reproduce this page granted only for use in
buyer’s youth group. This page can be downloaded at www.youthspecialties.com/store/downloads code:noah
Copyright © 2007 by Hoon Kim.

THE CREATION NARRATION
As you read the fi rst two chapter of Genesis, fi ll in the following table.
DAY WHAT WAS CREATED GOOD OR NOT GOOD?
(INDICATE VERSE)
(INDICATE VERSE)
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
20 creative bible lessons in GENESIS
SIX
SEVEN
From Creative Bible Lessons in Genesis by Hoon Kim. Permission to reproduce this page granted only for use in
buyer’s youth group. This page can be downloaded at www.youthspecialties.com/store/downloads code:noah
Copyright © 2007 by Hoon Kim.

MASSIVE IF-THEN STATEMENTS
After we read Colossians 1:15-20 together, you’ll have 20 minutes to think through
the remainder of the if-then statements. If you can’t think of too many, don’t worry;
we will also brainstorm as a group.
creator God 21
Example:
IF God created and sustains everything (Colossians 1:17), he knows everything.
Some sample answers are fi lled in for you.
If God… Then he… Some (implications) How that makes
are…
me feel…
If God created probably He knows where dingoes Reassured…I’m
and sustains knows sleep in Australia, not alone.
everything everything what a barracuda
(Colossians that’s going is eating off of the
1:17), on right now. Jamaican coast, that
my parents were fi ghting
last night.
If God made must be
everything good, powerful.
If God designed
everything,
If God made
everything,
owns everything.
(Add your own.)
CONCLUSION
After the group brainstorms, complete the following summary statement.
Since God is the Creator, I now know that he will…
From Creative Bible Lessons in Genesis by Hoon Kim. Permission to reproduce this page granted only for use in
buyer’s youth group. This page can be downloaded at www.youthspecialties.com/store/downloads code:noah
Copyright © 2007 by Hoon Kim.